To Say 'We Believe' and They Will Not Be Tried

To Say 'We Believe' and They Will Not Be Tried

By Sheikh Saad Tasleem | 15th MAS ICNA Convention

Opening

(الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى أَشْرَفِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ، نَبِيِّنَا وَسَيِّدِنَا وَحَبِيبِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ - al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīn, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā ashrafi al-ʾanbiyāʾi wal-mursalīn, nabiyyinā wa sayyidinā wa ḥabībinā muḥammadin wa ʿalā ʾālihi wa ṣaḥbihi ʾajmaʿīn)

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the most noble of the Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet, our Master, and our Beloved Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

(اللَّهُمَّ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ اللَّهُمَّ عَلَّمْنَا مَا يَنْفَعْنَا وَانْفَعْنَا بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنَا وَزِدْنَا عِلْمًا يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، اللَّهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ وَأَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا وَارْزُقْنَا اجْتِنَابَهُ - allāhumma lā ʿilma lanā ʾillā mā ʿallamtanā ʾinnaka ʾanta al-ʿalīmu al-ḥakīmu allāhumma ʿallimnā mā yanfaʿunā wanfaʿnā bimā ʿallamtanā wazidnā ʿilman yā rabba al-ʿālamīn, allāhumma ʾarinā al-ḥaqqa ḥaqqan warzuqnā ʾittibāʿahu wa ʾarinā al-bāṭila bāṭilan warzuqnā ʾijtinābahū)

O Allah, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. O Allah, teach us what benefits us, benefit us with what You have taught us, and increase us in knowledge, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it.

(السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ - as-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatu-llāhi wa barakātuhū)

Introduction: The Reality of Tests

My brothers and sisters, one of the realities of life that there is no escape from is the reality that we all go through tests and trials and difficulties and hardships. And not only that, not only is it the reality of our lives, it is the reality of our iman that Allah will test us and try us in this life.

And Allah makes this absolutely clear for the people of iman.

That do the people think that they will be left alone simply because they say we believe and they will not be tested?

Certainly we tested those who came before them.

And as people of iman, as people of faith, we look at this ayah, we hear the words of Allah and we hunker down. We get ready for these tests and trials for we know that there is no life without being tested and tried. And there are moments of ease and there are moments of hardship.

The Three Commands of Allah

And that is why Allah when speaking to the people of iman, commands us with three things:

Isbiru, have patience. Wasabiru, and have more patience. Warabitu, and tie down.

Isbiru, meaning have patience in these moments. Wasabiru, have more patience, meaning have more patience than whatever you're going through.

Whatever your trial is, the level of your patience has to be higher. Warabitu, coming from the word rabt, which means to tie. Tie yourself down, hunker yourself down for the long haul.

Meaning the moments when you're feeling like you can't make it, the moments when you feel like you can't continue, remind yourself that it is part of your aqeedah, it is part of your creed, it is part of your faith to be tested by Allah.

Allah Does Not Burden a Soul Beyond Its Capacity

And it is at those moments that we bring out our principles:

Allah will not test a soul, Allah will not test a nafs with more than they can handle.

So in this political and social climate, when we feel like it's too much, when we feel like maybe, you know what, this time we can't handle it. Remember:

We tested those who came before them.

Because you know what, we were saying the same thing after 9-11. We were saying, you know what, I don't know if I can make it through this time. And then the next event happened and we said, you know what, I think this is it. I think we can't make it.

And in this political and social climate, I know some of us are thinking, I don't know if we can make it. I don't know if I can persevere anymore. But remember that as Allah has given you faith, as Allah has made you people of iman, likewise Allah has given us the ability to overcome these difficulties.

At a Crossroads

And my brothers and sisters, right now, as the Muslim community in America, we're at a very important time. We're at a crossroads. There are decisions and choices to be made right now.

Lives are changing, my brothers and sisters. We're in a different environment. Number one, whether we like it or not, we're forced to up our game.

You know, there was a time where you could live a passive Muslim life. Or you could live in your little bubble. You could be a Muslim and nobody knows.

You go to school and you go to work. You go to the grocery store and you just hide your Islam. And nobody knows and maybe you go to the masjid on Juma'ah.

Maybe you go attend Eid and that's it. But that time is gone, my brothers and sisters. Now Islam is at the forefront.

Islam is the topic of discussion everywhere we go. It's hard to turn on the news and not hear someone talking about your religion. So we have to up our game.

We All Represent Islam Now

We have to understand that we are now the representatives of Islam. There was a time where you could sit there in the audience and say, yeah, that person on stage, they're going to represent Islam for me. My local imam, he's going to represent Islam for me.

This so-and-so well-known person, they are going to represent Islam for me. But my brothers and sisters, that time is gone. We all represent Islam now.

Our actions and our behaviors have to match what we have been talking about. We've been talking for a very long time. We've been talking about the beauty of Islam.

We've been talking about all Islam has to offer. We've been making a lot of speeches. But now, my brothers and sisters, now is the time to deliver.

Now it's our responsibility, not as an imam or a sheikh, as a scholar. It's me, as a Muslim, in my community. It is my time to deliver.

It is our time to deliver, my brothers and sisters.

Decision Time: Hold On or Let Go?

It's decision time. Do we hold on or do we let go? And every time we're faced with a trial, every time we're faced with a difficulty, I know there's part of us that says, you know what, just let go.

Our Responsibility to Future Generations

And I'll ask you this question. If we start chipping away at our deen now, if we start chipping away at our religion now, if we start letting this go and letting that go, and saying, you know what, this is not the time. This is not the time for me to be that representative of Islam.

This is not the time for me to show my Islam. If we start chipping away at our religion now, then what will be left for our children? What will be left for the generation that comes after us? Because now we are responsible.

Just like the generation before us, we have a lot.

We owe them a lot. It is because of the work that they did that we are able to gather here in the thousands and be proud of our Islam. And we want to continue that tradition.

We want to continue the tradition that the next generation comes, our kids come, and they say, you know what? My parents held on to Islam. My parents held on to their deen. They were proud.

They were proud to be Muslim and proud to be American at the same time. And that makes it that today I have a legacy to follow. This is the time, my brothers and sisters, this is the time to establish that legacy.

Allah Tests to Raise Us in Status

As Allah tests us, likewise Allah gives us the ability and the opportunity to raise us in status. For how else were the prophets raised in status? The Prophet (peace be upon him) told us that those who are tested most severely are the Anbiya. Allah raised them in status by testing them.

And likewise, we should have no doubt. We should have no doubt in our mind that Allah wants to raise our status. That Allah wants to strengthen us.

Allah wants to unite us. Allah wants us to hold on. Allah wants us to be an example for the generations that come after us.

My brothers and sisters, that is the bigger picture. But I don't want to just leave you with that. It's easy to talk about the glamorous topics.

Don't Belittle Individual Struggles

It's easy to talk about Islamophobia and hate and bigotry and yes, that is the larger challenge for us. That is the larger picture. Our Ummah indeed is going through immense difficulties but never belittle the individual problems that you are going through.

Never belittle the little problems that seem little from the outside. Because each and every one of us we have our own struggle. Each and every one of us we have our own trials.

And how can you tell me somebody who is going through an emotional trial someone whose life is suffering that their hardship means any less? Their hardship for them is a hardship. Their distress and their trial for them is a hardship. So I want to make sure that as we talk about these bigger issues and yes, they need to be talked about yes, we need to encourage one another.

Yes, we need to hold on to one another and unite and come together and help each other persevere. Likewise, we need to also look out for the little guy or the little girl. We need to start meeting the needs of our communities.

Meeting the Needs of Neglected Communities

We need to start looking out for those segments of our communities that have been neglected for too long. Whether it be the role of women whether it be our reverts and converts brothers and sisters who we've neglected for so long whether it be our brothers and sisters suffering from mental illnesses whether it be those sections of our communities that are suffering that are afflicted with disabilities now is the time my brothers and sisters as we forge our identity and as we come together likewise we have to do it we have to make sure that we're doing it in a complete fashion.

We have to make sure that as we're forging our identity that it begins with the little person it begins with the neglected needs and we move up from there.

And I know what a lot of people think. A lot of people think, what can I do? How can I make a difference? I'm just one individual. I look out and I see these big Muslim organizations and I see these well-known speakers and so on and so forth but I'm just I'm just an individual.

What can I do?

Never Belittle Any Good Deed

My brothers and sisters we all have a role to play and sometimes we miss out on doing something good because we're just waiting to do something great and with Allah we don't know what that definition is we may do something seemingly small but with Allah it is great.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Never belittle anything from good.

(Sahih Muslim 2626)

So all I ask from you today as we come to the close or close to the end of this evening, all I ask is that you make the personal intention to make a difference and never tell yourself that it's too small. Never tell yourself that it's not big enough.

Never tell yourself that it's not glamorous enough because the real work is really really being done by the people who are unseen and it has been like that throughout history and we will show up on the Day of Judgment and I have no doubt that we will see people walking in front of us into Jannah people that we never imagined people that we never looked at people that we never thought about and we will see how Allah will take those people who are unknown in this life and Allah will make them true celebrities.

The True Celebrity on the Day of Judgment

The celebrity on the Day of Judgment is the real celebrity because you're not talking about a few thousand followers, you're not even talking about a million followers you're talking about billions and billions of people who will be standing on the Day of Judgment looking at this individual who was unknown in this life. This individual who thought nobody knows what I am doing but Allah knows what I am doing.

And so as we go through these tests and trials, my brothers and sisters, revive your Iman, revive your spirituality, revive your connection with Allah and hold firm.

And Allah knows best.

Closing

End of Khutbah